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Micro moth - Pupa in flower bud of Brown Knapweed For details, refer to description with this image:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98625/micro_moth_-_exit_hole_in_brown_knapweed.html" title="Micro moth - Exit hole in Brown Knapweed"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3043/98625_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=7ZoE7q2ite85u3Jg0y3kC2G9%2Fic%3D" width="200" height="114" alt="Micro moth - Exit hole in Brown Knapweed The other day Tymo showed us some details of the biology of this Micro moth (ID pending)<br /> The little caterpillar/larva munches a corridor in the stem of Brown Knapweed and creates an exit hole for itself to emerge through once it has finished development to imago (planning ahead!), then retracts into the flower bud, feeds some more and pupates - strangely somehow always &quot;backwards&quot; (bum pointing to the exit hole). I opened this flower bud (from the stem) to have a better look...<br /> <br /> Half of stem peeled away to see corridor with frass and the exit hole from the inside:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98626/micro_moth_-_frass_in_corridor_to_flower_bud_of_brown_knapweed.html<br /> The pupa in situ:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98624/micro_moth_-_pupa_in_flower_bud_of_brown_knapweed.html<br /> Collage of details of same pupa:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98623/micro_moth_-_pupa.html<br /> Exit hole under different flower bud. The larva seems to have a clear preference to chew out the exit hole such that it is hidden behind a leaflet:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98629/micro_moth_-_hidden_exit_hole.html<br /> Brown Knapweed,Centaurea jacea,Geotagged,Lepidoptera,Micro moth,Moth Week 2020,Netherlands,nl: Knoopkruid" /></a></figure> Brown Knapweed,Centaurea jacea,Lepidoptera,Micro moth,Moth Week 2020,nl: Knoopkruid Click/tap to enlarge

Micro moth - Pupa in flower bud of Brown Knapweed

For details, refer to description with this image:

Micro moth - Exit hole in Brown Knapweed The other day Tymo showed us some details of the biology of this Micro moth (ID pending)<br /> The little caterpillar/larva munches a corridor in the stem of Brown Knapweed and creates an exit hole for itself to emerge through once it has finished development to imago (planning ahead!), then retracts into the flower bud, feeds some more and pupates - strangely somehow always "backwards" (bum pointing to the exit hole). I opened this flower bud (from the stem) to have a better look...<br /> <br /> Half of stem peeled away to see corridor with frass and the exit hole from the inside:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98626/micro_moth_-_frass_in_corridor_to_flower_bud_of_brown_knapweed.html<br /> The pupa in situ:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98624/micro_moth_-_pupa_in_flower_bud_of_brown_knapweed.html<br /> Collage of details of same pupa:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98623/micro_moth_-_pupa.html<br /> Exit hole under different flower bud. The larva seems to have a clear preference to chew out the exit hole such that it is hidden behind a leaflet:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/98629/micro_moth_-_hidden_exit_hole.html<br /> Brown Knapweed,Centaurea jacea,Geotagged,Lepidoptera,Micro moth,Moth Week 2020,Netherlands,nl: Knoopkruid

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By Pudding4brains

Public Domain
Uploaded Jul 24, 2020.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0

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